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Australia
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Today's front page: "One small hand clinging to everything except reality". satpa.pe/thesaturdaypaper
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Exclusive: When Albanese’s staff insisted on Tuesday morning that the Labor leader would speak regardless of what Morrison chose to do, Morrison’s staff changed their position. The prime minister would deliver a speech first. | @KarenMMiddleton #AusPol satpa.pe/exclu14a2b7
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Peter Dutton ends the year with detailed plans to wind back reconciliation, peppering departments with questions about the cost of Welcomes to Country and promising to scrap flags, dual names and the ambassador for First Nations people. satpa.pe/hzsgHGx
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.@SquigglyRick spent two days at the National Library of Australia reviewing the original explorer accounts quoted by Bruce Pascoe in ‘Dark Emu’, now under fire from Andrew Bolt. They are – at every instance – quoted verbatim. satpa.pe/pascoe1c351
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Today's front page: "There cannot be 432 victims and no perpetrators..." satpa.pe/thesaturdaypaper
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Editorial: There is no doubt that the platform on which Albanese is running will produce a country more just and more caring than the one Morrison is promising. There is no doubt he would make a better prime minister.
#AusPol #AusVotes #SatPaper
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After 15 years without answers, a series of statutory declarations finally reveals how race and allegations of ‘criminal’ activities were used in Scott Morrison’s controversial preselection. | @KarenMMiddleton #AusPol #SatPaper satpa.pe/actua0a195
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Editorial: Laura Tingle’s statement last weekend made another point about Australia: racism is almost never punished, but the people who name it almost always are. satpa.pe/93IfFTr
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Editorial: Before the last election, Morrison reopened the prison on Christmas Island. He took a clutch of journalists there and walked them among the empty cages. The photo opportunity cost $185 million. #AusPol #SatPaper satpa.pe/edito0474b
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"Peter Dutton pushes the argument that renewables have led to higher power prices," writes @JohnRHewson. "Again, the evidence flouts this assertion. When Labor came to office, wholesale prices were $375 a megawatt hour. This year, they were just $76/MWh." satpa.pe/Oj8mK0O
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Editorial: It is almost impossible to imagine a legal system that could fail a person more comprehensively, over a longer period of time, at more levels and in more ways, than the system that failed Brittany Higgins. satpa.pe/SKg7oPC
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Exclusive: After becoming defence minister, Peter Dutton intervened to cancel an Australian Defence Force plan to give Australian military bases dual English and Indigenous names. @KarenMMiddleton reports #AusPol #SatPaper satpa.pe/dutto88659b
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Editorial: In the three months to September last year, Peter Dutton incurred $809,587.56 in incidentals. It is incredible how much it costs to do nothing. satpa.pe/eQzb4g8
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Exclusive: Former NDIS minister Stuart Robert's approval of a $9.5 million contract with US-based company Salesforce – now costing taxpayers at least $210 million – has been referred to the National Anti-Corruption Commission, @JKoutsoukis reports. #auspol satpa.pe/LzC3Sbz
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Editorial: It may be unparliamentary to call Peter Dutton racist. It may even be offensive. It is, however, on the basis of his entire career, on everything since his first campaign and his first speech to parliament, a statement of unarguable fact. satpa.pe/foNsraJ
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Editorial: Marcia Langton was not judging “No” voters, although she would be within her rights to do so. She was warning against the specious arguments and base fears that propel the “No” campaign. For this she is now being punished. satpa.pe/rb72sgn
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Exclusive: New interviews describe how Josh Frydenberg lobbied AGL to sack its chief executive because he was too active on climate change. satpa.pe/fryde9649e0
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“It seems that Peter Dutton is happy to live with a situation where an Indigenous teenager is more likely to enter the prison system than to complete high school. No one seeking office in this country in 2025 should be content with that.” | John Hewson satpa.pe/w2ByoVx
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The Morrison government’s Emissions Reduction Fund has wasted more than a billion dollars of public money on projects that don’t actually reduce net emissions, according to detailed expert analysis #AusPol #QandA. Article now unlocked 🔑 satpa.pe/8240ea
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Editorial: Scott Morrison, the man who conceived of AUKUS, is the single worst leader the country has ever had. He is a man without ambition for anything but himself, a man as useful as a briefing paper is to a chimp. satpa.pe/QXhnny7
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"Peter Dutton has had more than two decades in public life," says Anthony Albanese. "He has chosen throughout that to be someone who has been divisive rather than tried to bring people together. He's done that across every portfolio he has ever held.” satpa.pe/x3Oi6v6
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“Denial of the science of epidemiology is widespread, even among ‘experts’. We are told repeatedly that SARS-CoV-2 will become ‘endemic’. But it will never be endemic because it is an epidemic disease and always will be.” | Professor Raina MacIntyre satpa.pe/endemic4c4426
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Editorial: Peter Dutton cannot name the experts who advised on his nuclear policy. This is most likely because they do not exist. Imaginary reactors are the preserve of imaginary scientists. satpa.pe/tENlNKW
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Editorial: It may be unparliamentary to call Peter Dutton racist. It may even be offensive. It is, however, on the basis of his entire career, on everything since his first campaign and his first speech to parliament, a statement of unarguable fact. satpa.pe/JME95us
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“There was a pattern of gross maladministration under Dutton and Scott Morrison. It was a pattern…of big talk publicly and chest beating, but when you looked under the hood, it just didn’t work.” Peter Dutton has not made Australia’s borders more secure: satpa.pe/ZSKQobE
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"Murdoch’s strategy for Sky News has four stages. The first step is to latch onto a segment of the Australian community and divorce them from reality," writes @MrKRudd #4Corners #auspol (August 14 article, now unlocked 🗝️) bit.ly/3kyR9oq
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Editorial: Catherine Holmes’s belief in the National Anti-Corruption Commission was so great she delayed her own findings so she could refer individuals to the body.
The institutions in which the commissioner put her faith have all failed. satpa.pe/vMZ1oI7
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“Politics is increasingly attracting the wrong sort of people, those more interested in making a difference for themselves and their mates than for their constituents or our nation.” | @JohnRHewson satpa.pe/hewso9c1d5
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"If you don’t know, vote ‘No’” – is morally bankrupt, writes Barry Jones.
"It encourages citizens not to engage with an important issue. Really, if you don’t know you should find out. This is basic decency on a question of such importance." satpa.pe/FmCUGwq
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Cardinal George Pell died in Rome having been acquitted by the High Court on child sexual abuse charges but without ever facing court over multiple allegations | @Milliganreports writes on the anguish of abuse survivors.
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The Voice is not a test of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese but rather a test of all Australians — of who we are and who we want to be and how we hope the world will see us, writes @JohnRHewson. satpa.pe/0GzGf42
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John Hewson: If we had matched Singapore's Covid public health measures – masks on public transport and isolation for positive cases – there would have been 4300 fewer Australian Covid fatalities and about 250,000 fewer severe cases of long Covid. bit.ly/3HGyfJb
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Editorial: It is 11 years since Tony Abbott was made prime minister. Few people have done less to improve the country and more to degrade it. His return to influence is a worry for anyone who cares about change. satpa.pe/pivOzjE
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“Albanese now has immense moral authority and I hope he uses it,” writes Barry Jones. “He has the power to open up dark places in the ALP, to be a world leader on climate change, to be a major tax reformer … He can do it.”
satpa.pe/QKTcQaU
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It is not surprising that the “No” case has been able to get away with its strategy of confusion, writes @JohnRHewson.
Most media has been either compliant or asleep, failing to adequately present facts and substance, preferring to run personalities. satpa.pe/TiZX3UZ
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Evidence during one of the most incendiary weeks at the Robodebt Royal Commission has revealed the extraordinary lengths two federal government departments would go in order to cover-up a multi-billion-dollar crime. | @SquigglyRick satpa.pe/pando1idu
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Peter Dutton’s claims of media bias during the election campaign were staggering given the total support and saturation coverage of his clearly under-prepared team, writes John Hewson.
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"The whole point of having a public service is to have people who can provide expert, apolitical, evidence-based policy advice. To slash this can only deliver poorer services and outcomes for Australians," writes John Hewson. satpa.pe/pi8EfBU
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“Having reported on every federal government since Bob Hawke’s, I have to say none have had a more successful first year than Albanese’s.”
@PaulBongiorno on Anthony Albanese’s first year in power.
#auspol mnth.ly/YUhdakM
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“I really am at a loss to understand why the current Coalition seems so hell-bent on emulating the US Republican Party.”
It is hiring Republican advisers to help to develop its strategy, writes @JohnRHewson. #auspol #Insiders satpa.pe/gTO4Y8C
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“Not one square metre was lost by an Australian as a result of Mabo and Wik...yet there was a ferocious campaign of fear and misrepresentation,” says Noel Pearson.
“I would remind Australians about the great gulf between the scare campaign and the truth.” satpa.pe/8J5G45K
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"The Voice will hold no powers to bind the Parliament or to dictate to government. It will be advisory only: it will have no capacity to spend money," writes Patrick Dodson. "To argue otherwise is mischievous." satpa.pe/kZhwelI
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In the week following publication of The Saturday Paper story, Tudge’s office debated the merits of releasing a dead man’s personal information to strike back at what they perceived to be unfair coverage, writes @SquigglyRick. satpa.pe/robde4ed
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Editorial: Dutton is a man whose malice was mistaken for intelligence. His stubbornness was mistaken for discipline. In the end, he had neither. satpa.pe/DPBjWK9
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Editorial: Right-wing politicians and the right-wing press are preparing for an election fought on race. Peter Dutton has never campaigned anything else. He does not know how. satpa.pe/5ruXnQH
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The performance of the first-term Albanese government has been marked by an unusual stability and maturity, writes @PaulBongiorno.
The government has shown a level of competence — in sharp contrast to its predecessor. satpa.pe/psStgUl
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“They were warned 12 weeks ago by WHO and others what was coming. They diligently did not do anything useful.” Experts respond to Morrison’s Covid-19 plans. satpa.pe/morris9cea6
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From now until referendum day, we have removed the paywall on all Voice coverage.
Read and share articles for free.
satpa.pe/XjLk9Jw
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Editorial: The Nationals' $250 billion loan is not for farmers. It is not even for their own seats. It is for companies whose damage to the environment is so great that the world’s banks will no longer finance it. #Insiders #SatPaper satpa.pe/edito82e8b
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This week’s cartoon, by Jon Kudelka… satpa.pe/kudelkc71
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The Albanese government has achieved the lowest average unemployment of any government in 50 years. By international standards, Australia’s economy is in pretty good shape, writes John Hewson. satpa.pe/6ZdFjvv
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“Trump may think of himself as a ‘strong man’, but his economics are that of a delusional novice, pretending that he can call all the shots, when clearly he can’t,” writes John Hewson. satpa.pe/6kTYxLJ
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“Peter Dutton’s special brand of Bjelke-Petersen politics is aimed at dividing Australians to harvest votes from the permanently angry who need someone to blame for their miseries,” writes Marcia Langton. “Mostly, they blame Aboriginal people.” satpa.pe/TzpLlk2
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Peter Dutton says Anthony Albanese “doesn’t want to tell the Australian public the true, dire picture of what the economic outlook is for our country”.
The trouble with this narrative is its complete lack of credibility, writes Paul Bongiorno. satpa.pe/ZV54WDs
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"Dutton and his colleagues were, and remain, prepared to destroy Indigenous economic opportunities for their political ambitions, using rhetoric imported directly from the United States, from far-right spin doctors such as Steve Bannon." | Marcia Langton. satpa.pe/TghV1eY
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Five people have seen the sealed section of the #RobodebtRC: “The reason Bill Shorten hasn’t been able to leak it is because he hasn’t even seen it,” a senior Labor source says. “And the reason he hasn’t seen it is because Dreyfus thinks he would leak it." satpa.pe/0mlXhqn
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The father of two daughters abused by a paedophile priest described George Pell as having a “sociopathic lack of empathy” when the family went to see him about their daughters’ plight, writes @Milliganreports
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Anthony Albanese is rising above his critics — both in Parliament House and in the press, writes @JohnRHewson.
He continues to outperform the expectations of those who have been wanting to see him fail.
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There was no distinction between a principled “No”, a racist “No”, an irritated “No” and an unengaged “No”, writes Barry Jones.
People who voted “Yes” understood the issue and welcomed the chance to close the gap and bring the country together. satpa.pe/u9qITPW
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“You would think female politicians wouldn’t be described as witches these days,” writes @zdaniel “Yet a Sydney newspaper in recent weeks chose to describe a flat shared by three of my female crossbench colleagues as a ‘coven’”.
#AusPol satpa.pe/julia084ea6
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Editorial: While Linda Reynolds pursues claims, Higgins is campaigning for affirmative consent laws, for better police training and judicial practice. She is focused on a world larger than herself. It is hard not to note the difference. satpa.pe/gXaL3c0
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On February 27, Peter Dutton dined with CEOs, investment bankers, and media executives at a $20,000-a-head fundraiser at billionaire Alex Waislitz’s Toorak mansion. The agenda? Tax cuts, policy influence, and campaign funding. satpa.pe/4dJWbB6
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The leader of the Liberals for Yes organisation says party members have told her they are being threatened with losing preselection if they campaign in favour of voting ‘Yes’ at the referendum, reports @KarenMMiddleton. #auspol satpa.pe/gTHSNSF
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Editorial: Scott Morrison, the man who conceived of AUKUS, is the single worst leader the country has ever had. He is a man without ambition for anything but himself, a man as useful as a briefing paper is to a chimp. satpa.pe/4CWwE4i
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The opposition leader and his prospective treasurer are among the richest people to ever sit in parliament – although their wealth is held in a series of complex arrangements that would breach the ministerial code. Jason Koutsoukis investigates. satpa.pe/HTy345Q
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"In Norway, university is free and the fossil fuel industry is taxed, while in Australia we subsidise the fossil fuel industry and tax students."
Australia's education system has been shaped to entrench inequality, writes @JaneCaro. It doesn't have to. satpa.pe/HhVuH0F
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“I remember being in the car a few days after the inauguration, and Peter was on Ben Fordham’s show telling everyone how happy he was that Trump was back in the White House,” one Coalition MP says. “And I remember thinking: this is going to stick.” satpa.pe/fqH663e
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“Let’s think hypothetically about an Indigenous woman born the same year as me, in 1961,” writes @JuliaGillard.
“We may have grown up in the same country, but we did not have equal access to the essential foundations of a healthy and happy life.” satpa.pe/kRuyx2h
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Stan Grant on the Bondi Junction attack:
“I see a distraught father who bears the crimes of his son, and he says he can’t stop loving him and my heart breaks because I love my children too. Am I wrong to feel heartbroken for the father of the killer?” satpa.pe/6Xrg0CX
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Editorial: Peter Dutton knows what he is doing. He is a man without prominent features, except this one: he will always and happily exploit race for political gain. satpa.pe/TSehz56
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Editorial: It may be unparliamentary to call Peter Dutton racist. It may even be offensive. It is, however, on the basis of his entire career, on everything since his first campaign and his first speech to parliament, a statement of unarguable fact. satpa.pe/WzQfz7g
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"The irony is, if [the Coalition] spent half the amount of time they spend trying to drive up fear and smear campaigns on actually coming up with some real policies... voters might actually have something of substance to consider.” Zali Steggall says. satpa.pe/3UKNjxS
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“I’m absolutely baffled as to why a very senior politician in this country would focus on a group of people, in this case Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders … he wants to bring us down every opportunity." satpa.pe/ZnHjZa1
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“JobKeeper is a running sore for the government thanks to its refusal to claw back a staggering $20 billion it overpaid businesses. That sum could purchase 1.6 billion test kits at a full retail price of $12.50 each.” | @PaulBongiorno #AusPol #SatPaper satpa.pe/bonge1ce1c
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Editorial: It was Janet Albrechtsen who described Scott Morrison’s apology to Higgins as “nothing short of grotesque”. It was Albrechtsen who wondered in print if the compensation paid to Higgins after she was raped was “for services rendered”. satpa.pe/cgm0mvC
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"Australia has become probably the most successful and tolerant multiracial...multi-religious society in the world – the envy of many," writes @JohnRHewson. “It is a national tragedy that our nation hasn’t come to terms with its history.” #Insiders satpa.pe/evkfaWa
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“Not one square metre was lost by an Australian as a result of Mabo and Wik...yet there was a ferocious campaign of fear and misrepresentation,” says Noel Pearson.
“I would remind Australians about the great gulf between the scare campaign and the truth.” satpa.pe/vlOd47L
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The court received 30 pages of messages between Tony Abbott’s former chief of staff Peta Credlin and hard-right religious conservative Moira Deeming.
“We need you to survive this,” Credlin wrote. “You will lead the party one day.” satpa.pe/hbDAJIN
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Stan Grant on Kamala Harris:
“What I saw and heard was a leader lacking a serious moral vision for her nation... Harris does not deserve a pass mark simply because she is not Donald Trump. The stakes are too high for that.” satpa.pe/B9pxiSH
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To huge applause, Price called for an audit of all spending on Aboriginal programs. She seems oblivious to the fact her side of politics poured millions into programs she now scorns, and cut millions from programs that were effective. | @PaulBongiorno satpa.pe/Ga9W0Gi
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“Albanese now has immense moral authority and I hope he uses it,” writes Barry Jones. “He has the power to open up dark places in the ALP, to be a world leader on climate change, to be a major tax reformer … He can do it.”
satpa.pe/azA9lkl
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From now until referendum day, we have removed the paywall on all Voice coverage.
Read and share articles for free.
satpa.pe/X7MOd0C
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Peter Dutton says Anthony Albanese “doesn’t want to tell the Australian public the true, dire picture of what the economic outlook is for our country”.
The trouble with this narrative is its complete lack of credibility, writes Paul Bongiorno. satpa.pe/an83022
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Announcing the Coalition’s opposition to the Voice, Peter Dutton said he had spoken to “many elders” as “we’ve moved around the country”.
@SquigglyRick attempted to identify who these people actually were: satpa.pe/dutto10dk
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The Albanese government has achieved the lowest average unemployment of any government in 50 years. By international standards, Australia’s economy is in pretty good shape, writes John Hewson. satpa.pe/yMBCiVY
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Katheryn Campbell is implicated at every stage of the robo-debt saga, writes @SquigglyRick.
Not only did she know the extent of income averaging — which advice said was illegal — but she also took steps to prevent external legal advice from being sought.
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"There has never been a conviction over an Aboriginal death in custody in this country... There cannot be more than 400 black deaths and no justice. There cannot be 432 victims and no perpetrators." | @amymcquire on Australia's violent apathy. satpa.pe/there2411a
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“It is time I start writing again. Many of the six million Australians who voted 'Yes' want to know what to do next.”
Thomas Mayo on his campaign for peace and fairness. satpa.pe/kq4sYI4
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“I am getting a good feeling about the campaign now,” Noel Pearson tells Kerry O’Brien.
“I myself was despondent, you know, a month ago. But we’re in the fourth week of a refreshed campaign. I think the campaign has a new kind of energy and optimism." satpa.pe/L8dqhPH
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Breaking: A report by the Australian Public Service Commission has found a dozen public servants, including two departmental secretaries, breached the Public Service Code of Conduct in their handling of #robodebt, @SquigglyRick reports.
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In March 2019, the office of Linda Reynolds was a hive of security breaches, staffing feuds and problem drinking, writes @SquigglyRick. At the centre of much of this was Bruce Lehrmann, a policy adviser remembered as “kind of lazy” and “an idiot”. satpa.pe/Hpnjl1L
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“The first change required to our electoral process is legislation to ensure truth in political advertising.”
Independent MP Monique Ryan reflects on the battle for Kooyong: satpa.pe/m7X5K6S
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“Peter Dutton may not want to stand before an Aboriginal flag. I don’t want him standing before an Australian flag. He does not represent our values. He is not interested in a fair go.” | Thomas Mayo: satpa.pe/5Xv7MX3
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Editorial: The media pretends there is debate where there is none. It leans too heavily on conflict. It mistakes credulity for balance. It is in these false equivalences that Peter Dutton finds his purpose. satpa.pe/yq3Y6zu
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Editorial: As there is no evidence of voter fraud affecting elections. It is hard to see the Morrison government's intention to institute identification checks at polling booths as anything other than voter suppression. #SatPaper #Insiders satpa.pe/rollr167f2f
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"Australia is one of a handful of nations where the concept and practice of liberal democracy can survive, but only if citizens are prepared to fight for it,” writes Barry Jones.
“In the United States it may be too late…" satpa.pe/p4nGoUT
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